The irony was so thick you could spread it on toast. I sat there realizing I had absolutely no desire to join a family whose idea of bonding was financial hazing. I didn’t yell.
I didn’t argue. I simply excused myself, walked to the register, and paid for my meal only — the ultimate plot twist, apparently — and left. Now Mike is calling me dramatic, emotional, and “unable to handle his family’s expectations.” His parents apparently think I “failed the test.”
So… is this real life?
What am I even supposed to do with this? Is there a universe where this isn’t an entire factory of waving red flags? Do I run, or do I bother having one last conversation with him?
Because right now, I’m leaning hard toward running.
